Love, Disapearance, the Past
by megsL
Summary: What happened when Michael Gregson went to Germany. Told from his point of view and Edith's while he was away. **Some season 4-5 spoilers** Rated T just in case, not sure how good it is.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my initial attempt at the first chapter of a fan fic, I plan to add to it but I want to know if it is too short/ too long/ not very good. So let me know what you think even though it is only a few paragraphs.

Chapter 1

Shortly after saying goodbye to Edith, only shortly after their night together, Michael Gregson was headed off to Germany to get his citizenship so they could get married. When he arrived in Munich, he noticed something was different than the last time he was there. There seemed to be more cruel looking men in uniform wandering about when he got off at the train station. He nodded to them and quickly made his to way to the car to take him to his hotel. He was to go to the Immigration office in a few days to start the process and then to see his wife to divorce her.

The next morning he read in the paper that someone named Adolf Hitler was making a public appearance the following week in the city square. Gregson did not know who this man was so he did not think much of it, some of the normal politics on the continent that those in England never could quite understand. He wondered if the men he had seen at the station were some kind of supporters of this person.

Shortly after the first day in the immigration office, with the next time the same as when Hitler was supposed to appear in public, there was a city wide bulletin on the radio that all public buildings and organizations were to be closed until further notice, including government buildings as well so the public could all attend the gathering.

This made Michael angry because he was in a hurry to get everything done and over with as it was typically a tedious process and he wanted to be able to return quickly to England and his loving Edith. Since he was not living there, he saw no reason to go listen to this Hitler man speak but decided to go to see what all the fuss was about.

He left his hotel that afternoon and followed the crowd of people to the city center where a stage had been set up and there were men in brown uniforms everywhere, some much younger than others. Though he could not understand everything Hitler was saying, Gregson gathered that he was talking about both the economy and happiness for all. The people seemed completely enthralled with him and raised their hands in salute to this man.


	2. Chapter 2

When the rally was over, Michael Gregson made his way among the crowd back to his hotel. He noticed that many people had their heads down and moved more quickly than what seemed normal for the middle of the day. However he didn't think much of it and continued navigating the crowded streets. Once, at a particularly crowded intersection he bumped into one of the men wearing a brown uniform who looked to be not much older than some of the younger servants back at Downton Abbey, and said "excuse me." Though in response he received nothing more than a glare which made Michael slightly uneasy despite the age. He averted his eyes and kept moving down the street.

He returned to his hotel and found the mornings post on the floor outside his door. There were only a few letters that he flipped through as he unlocked the door and hung up his hat. Mostly from his lawyer or the office, none from Edith. Michael sat down to respond and sighed as his mind wandered to her, he had been in Germany a little more than a week and he hadn't received any letters of any kind from her. She was the only person that he had ever truly loved. He loved his wife once for a short time but when her insanity started to become more pronounced he wanted nothing but to rid her from his life. He knew he had to go see her before the divorce became official, but he was going to avoid that for as long as he could and finish up all the remaining paperwork with the lawyers and the office of immigration.

He missed Edith terribly and was determined to keep to his promise that the process would go by quickly so that he could return to her and they would soon get married. Their last night before he left was incredible and he remembered every detail fondly. He sat at the desk in the hotel room and thought for a long time.

After she arrived in London they had tea in his office and sat talking for hours about the future and Germany before they got hungry and decided it was time for dinner. They went to the restaurant in a hotel across town from his office, one they had been to before and he knew was one of her favorites. He remembered that she had gotten a walnut and cherry salad with pecorino and also a poached salmon with a piccata sauce while he had a mushroom soup and filet mignon with mushrooms and a red wine sauce. They had sat and talked while they shared a chocolate almond cake with chocolate sour cream icing that Edith had found delightful. He even remembered what her hair looked like as it shone in the candelight. After dinner they went back to Michael's home and after his butler had taken Edith's coat she took Michael's hands and looked up into his eyes.

"What is it my dear? Did you have an enjoyable time tonight?" he asked her as he looked back at her.

"Oh yes it was lovely. I was just thinking how much I love you and how perfect it would be if we could stay in this moment forever."

He smiled and they stood in silence for a while until unexpectedly he picked her up and carried her upstairs to her bedroom while she laughed and protested halfheartedly the whole way. The rest of the night needed no explanation. In the morning they took their time getting up and sat in bed talking and laughing. Neither of them wanted to move because they both knew he had to leave the following day and she had to go back to Downton. Finally they got dressed and went downstairs to have breakfast.

As Michael remembered that night, for some odd reason he also began to think about the rest of the Crawley family. Lord Grantham, who Michael had finally won over in that card game when he cheated and won back the money that was lost. Lady Grantham, who was so charming and welcoming in her American way. Tom Branson, adopted into the upper class of the English and somewhat lost but kind nonetheless. The Dowager Countess, who looked down on the changing of the times but was wise and caring as she sat watched her family grow. Even Lady Mary, even though she was indignant and independent and stubborn, was loving in her own way. He had wanted so much for them to accept him despite the age gap between Edith and himself

Sitting at the desk in the somewhat dark small hotel room in a foreign country with not even a butler, Michael Gregson felt a sudden pang of loneliness. He missed all of them terribly but reminded himself he would back in England soon. He sat for a little while longer and finally changed his clothes, turned out the light and went to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

Michael woke up early a couple days later, got dressed, and stood looking out the window watching the people on the streets before he went down to eat breakfast. He could not help but notice that the handful of people on the streets in the early hours walked with their heads slightly down and there was hardly a sign of the cheerful morning greetings that were often found in the streets of London. The people ducked from one building to another, as if it was raining, which it was not. This made Michael slightly uneasy and he could not shake the feeling that something was amiss in Germany.

He pushed the feeling to the back of his mind and went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast where he ordered eggs and had the morning paper brought to him. There were hardly very many people staying at the hotel and he assumed it was not a popular vacation time for Germany. He opened the paper and skimmed the first few pages. There was an article that took up much space on the second page about how the German economy was getting back on its feet in recovery from the Great War, with much thanks to Adolf Hitler and his followers.

There was another article recapping the presentation in the city center the other day, though Michael was sure the whole city was there, so he did not see why there was a need to recap. His ears perked up as he heard two men a few tables over talking quietly in English with French accents about news that was not necessarily in the morning paper. One said something about a newspaper journalist that had been arrested recently for writing something about the failure of a political action. Michael saw nothing wrong with this, as he himself was a writer and on occasion wrote similar pieces. The second man said that the men in brown shirts were not ones to be reckoned with, and before Michael could get up and ask them what they were talking about, they had gone.

After hearing that exchange, he still was unsure what was happening but knew he wanted nothing more than to be done with his mission and return to England. He quickly paid the bill and picked up his bag and rushed out the door to find a cab. He had an appointment with the citizenship office along with a German lawyer that would help him with the divorce. As he left the hotel, he avoided eye contact with the four brown shirted men on the street, hauled a cab, and got in as quickly as he could. He had no reason to be paranoid because he was in the country on business only for a few weeks and should not be concerned with the possible political upheaval of a country that was not his own.


	4. Chapter 4

The German lawyer that was helping Michal's name was Kristof Albach. They had exchanged letters a few times and spoken on the phone only once before Michael left for Germany but never met. Michael had found him through a family friend and the man promised to help him get everything done in a timely manner. Now he had an appointment to get started signing the paperwork for the divorce, after he left the hotel he went straight to Albach's office where he would get the rundown of how it would go. He had heard that this Albach was skilled in the areas of citizenship and divorce (though not usually together) and would guide him through it.

It was his 6th day in Munich and he hoped that after today it would go much quicker because the remaining paperwork should take no more than couple more days. He had an interview later in the afternoon with a man from the immigration office where he would be asked the basic questions about why he wanted citizenship, and then tomorrow he would return and sign papers.

It was frustrating having been delayed two days due to the closing of public buildings and the public speaking by Hitler when nothing could be accomplished at all. Michael had spent that time mostly in the hotel reading the papers and a mystery novel. He had only written one letter to Edith, and was waiting for her response. He did not write every day because though he missed her, he thought it would be easier to get done and get home as soon as he could before she even had a chance to change her mind about them.

He had learned through reading the older papers he found that Adolf Hitler had risen to power only about two months ago, and there was not a bad thing written about him. Michael thought this was very strange; either everyone in the country loved him or the newspapers were somehow being coerced into writing all good articles. Michael did not know what to think about it, and he pushed it out of his mind.

Kristof Albach's office was located across town in a dark brick building neighbored by a general store on one side and a seamstress's shop on the other. The bell on the door jangled as Michael entered and approached the secretary at the desk.

"Good Morning. I have an appointment with Mr. Albach." He said to the young woman when she looked up at him through small glasses. She reminded him for a moment a little of Lady Mary Crawley, except with the darker features common among German women and without the air of ignorance about her. Maybe he just missed England.

"Name please?" she asked him in English, with a strong German accent.

"Michael Gregson, from England. I have written to Mr. Albach a few times in the last few weeks."

"Yes he is just finishing a meeting with another client you can have a seat and he will be with you shortly." She motioned to a set of worn chairs near the window of the small lobby.

He took a seat, looking around at the sparse decorations and few signs written in German. He saw two men in brown uniforms walking down the sidewalk and was reminded of the uneasy feeling he had had that morning at breakfast but ignored it. He was not waiting long. Soon a small dark haired woman hurried out of the adjoining office, gave a quick wave to the secretary and left without noticing Michael.

A tall thin man with fair hair and a scruffy beard followed the woman out of the office and looked at Michael.

"Ah, Mr. Gregson! Nice to finally meet you. Kristof Albach." Michael stood up to shake his hand. The man had a different German accent than the rest of the people in Munich that Michael had encountered, such as the taxi driver, hotel concierges, and waiters.

He followed Albach into the office and soon saw that it was only a little larger and slightly more decorated than the lobby. There was a large desk, bookshelf, and a chair across from the desk, which Michael sat down in while Albach cleared remaining papers from his desk.

When he sat down finally, he looked at Michael in silence for a full minute before saying, "Mr. Gregson you have a very interesting story, as I understand. Tell me about it."


	5. Chapter 5

The meeting with Kristof Albach was as Michael had expected. He had told the man all about his job in London, what he did, the insane wife, and how he wished to become a citizen to divorce her, and get back to England with the woman he truly loved. He thought it was not wise to tell everything about Edith and her family, so he did not even give her name; he just said there was someone else much more sane and lovely than his wife. Albach listened with fascination, and then together they laid out the foundation paperwork for the divorce, along with the basics for the citizenship. There was not much legally Albach could help with, since citizenship was under the jurisdiction of the German government, but he gave Michael pointers and advice about what to say to the officers at the immigration office.

It seemed that the divorce would be the more complicated part, and it was not made easier by the fact that his wife was declared insane and was in a clinic. But Albach was a genius to say the least that moved quickly with efficiency, scribbling many notes and pulling out one document after the next while talking the whole time. He was also not one to get off topic and spoke only about business. Michael knew that the late Matthew Crawley was a good lawyer, and wondered if he worked this well also.

The whole meeting took close to three hours, however when Michael walked out of the office he felt much better about the whole thing because it had finally begun to take motion. Albach had promised to file the divorce papers with the state that evening and they were to meet again on Thursday afternoon, in two days after Michael finally started the citizenship process and visited his wife, which he would do tomorrow. The divorce papers would not be accepted until Michael earned his citizenship, but Albach thought it better to submit them early and they would be put on hold.

After saying goodbye and shaking hands once more, Michael stopped on his way out to confirm the appointment with the young secretary, whose name he saw on a card on the desk was Francine Schmidt. She wrote it on a note in the date book and smiled at him when he turned to leave. She had a kind smile and he could tell that she was very intelligent.

He had a meeting later that afternoon with his representative from the immigration office and had just enough time to stop in a nearby pub for a quick lunch before catching a cab across town. The meeting was first off an interview and secondly a background check. He had the necessary paperwork with him in his briefcase and the man he was working with looked at everything carefully and after determining he was not running from the English government or otherwise some kind of criminal, he asked Michael to fill out the remaining paperwork. It involved questions about himself and his life in England.

He noticed with some interest that there was multiple questions of different variety asking about his religious and cultural preferences. He had never considered himself particularly religious, but was technically a member of the Church of England so he referred to that for every question. When he was finished and the man was looking over it, he nodded almost approvingly at various parts. Overall, the process was more tedious and less personal than his meeting with Mr. Albach.

It was a slightly rigorous process, and after two more hours, Michael was nearly done with the first step. He would return the next day and hopefully next week he would be ready to take the citizenship test. One more week. That is all he had to wait until he could be back with Edith wherever that took them. He could do one more week. Michael was exhausted when he returned to his hotel that evening, and asked to have dinner brought to his room. He ate alone and then decided to write a letter to Edith and to his staff, updating them and giving a probable return time at a couple weeks at the latest. He read for a short time and then fell asleep early.


End file.
